International Graduate Program onWithin the framework of University Recommended MEXT Scholarship (hereafter referred as ‘scholarship’ in the realm of this specific page), prospective applicant sends his/her application directly to the International Graduate Program on Civil and Environmental Engineering (hereafter referred as ‘program’) under the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Saitama University. Following the evaluation of applications, successful applicant is then nominated for scholarship by the program and in-turn nominated by Saitama University to MEXT.
Who is eligible to apply?
To be eligible to apply for the scholarship, applicant must meet all the following requirements:
a. Nationality
must be national of country that has diplomatic relations with Japan. Applicant who holds dual nationality (one being Japanese nationality) and whose place of residence at the time of application is outside of Japan is eligible to apply. However, dual national applicant selected for the scholarship will be required to renounce their Japanese nationality by the date of their arrival in Japan.
b. Age
be under 35 years of age as of April 1st of the application year.
c. Academic Background and Grade Point Average (GPA)
has demonstrated excellent academic achievement with a minimum GPA of 2.30 (out of 3.0 on MEXT’s standard scale) in his/her master's (or equivalent) degree in the field of civil and environmental engineering. The formula to convert available GPA to the MEXT’s standard scale is predetermined by MEXT, reference is available here (clicking will open a page in new window): MEXT GPA Conversion.
It is to be noted here that if the applicant is successful in obtaining the scholarship, s/he must at minimum maintain the GPA of 2.30 (out of 3.0) throughout the entire scholarship period, in each academic year. If the GPA drops below 2.30 in any academic year, it will result into the cancellation of scholarship.
d. English Language Proficiency
must meet one of the following requirements:
-
hold a test score equivalent to B2 or above on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) - https://is.gd/ouduDE (e.g., TOEFL iBT 80 or above, IELTS 5.5 or above, or other equivalent tests),
-
hold a certificate of completion of academic program whose primary language of instruction is English and that satisfies the entrance requirements of the International Graduate Program on Civil and Environmental Engineering at Saitama University.
e. Health
must be both physically and mentally healthy to pursue studies in Japan.
f. Visa Requirement
shall, in principle, newly obtain a “Student” visa at the Japanese diplomatic mission located in the applicant’s country of nationality and enter Japan with the residence status of “Student.” Accordingly, even if the applicant already has other residence status (“Permanent resident,” “Long-term resident,” etc.), the applicant must change it to the “Student” status and re-enter Japan. Moreover, the applicant should be aware that after expiration of the status as a MEXT Scholarship student and even if the student again applies for their original resident status of “Permanent resident” or “Long-term resident,” such resident statuses might not be necessarily granted. The applicant should also be aware that the scholarship will be cancelled if he/she arrived in Japan without a newly obtained “Student” visa.
g. Arrival in Japan
must be able to arrive in Japan by the date specified by MEXT or the program. If the applicant cannot arrive in Japan by the specified date, s/he must withdraw the application unless under unavoidable circumstances as deemed by MEXT. Travel cost will not be paid if the travel is outside of the specified travel period.
Applicant who meets any one of the following conditions is ineligible to apply for the scholarship and must promptly decline the scholarship offer upon their selection:
-
an active military personnel or military-employed civilian at the time of arrival or at any point during the scholarship period.
-
cannot arrive in Japan by the period designated by MEXT or the program.
-
a former recipient of the MEXT scholarship (including those who withdrew from the scholarship after arriving to Japan). This does not apply to the past recipients of Japanese Studies scholarship nor Japan-Korea Joint Government Scholarship Program for the Students in Science and Engineering Departments who have graduated or are going to graduate from universities in their home countries and past participants in the Young Leaders Program. The MEXT Honors Scholarship does not count as MEXT Scholarship.
-
is also simultaneously applying for the MEXT scholarship through another program within the university or another university.
-
is already enrolled or going to be enrolled in Japanese university as a student before the scholarship period starts. However, this clause does not apply if one can verify at the time of application that s/he will return to his/her country of nationality and acquire a new student residence status when entering Japan before the scholarship period starts.
-
plans to receive scholarship from any source other than MEXT (including those from own country’s governmental organization) after the scholarship period starts.
-
who is expected to graduate at the time of application (before the start of scholarship period) but cannot satisfy program’s requirements by the given deadline.
-
who is a holder of dual nationality (one being of Japan) at the time of application and cannot verify that s/he will give up Japanese nationality before arriving to Japan.
-
who is planning to conduct research activities (fieldwork, internship, etc.) outside of Japan, take a long leave of absence within the scholarship period, etc.
-
who has already obtained a doctoral degree and has no intention in obtaining another degree.
Applicant should be aware that scholarship can be suspended and/or cancelled. The scholarship recipient may be ordered to return all, or a part of stipend already received, if s/he is judged ineligible due to one of the following conditions:
-
has made false statement(s) (part or whole) on the application documents.
-
breaches any article of the pledge made towards MEXT.
-
violates Japan’s law and regulations resulting into life or more than one year of imprisonment.
-
is subjected to disciplinary action (e.g., expulsion, etc.) taken by Saitama University.
-
is deemed incapable to complete the program within the standard scholarship duration due to weak academic performance, leave of absence and/or suspension from Saitama University.
-
fails to acquire residence status as student when entering Japan or the status of residence changes to any status other than student in Japan.
-
receives another scholarship (excluding those explicitly specified for research expenses).
-
proceeds to a higher academic program (if applicable) without obtaining permission to extend the duration of scholarship from MEXT.
-
withdraws from Saitama University or transfers to another university.
-
academic records show GPA below 2.3 (out of 3.0) at the end of each academic year.
-
It should be noted that the scholarship payment may be stopped during the time while decision on applicable disciplinary action is being made related to scholarship suspension and/or cancellation.
a. Length of scholarship
b. Monthly allowance
The standard monthly allowance will be 145,000 JPY for student enrolled to doctoral program (FY2022) with an additional regional allowance of 3,000 JPY, i.e., a total of 148,000 JPY.
The amount and condition are subject to change as specified by the regulations of the MEXT Scholarship program and will not be paid to those who take a leave of absence from Saitama University.
c. Travel expenses
(1) Arrival in Japan
Based on scholarship recipient’s itinerary and route as designated by MEXT, an economy class air ticket from the international airport closest to recipient’s place of residence to the international airport in Japan (for Saitama University, it may be either Narita or Haneda) will be provided. Any expense incurred concerning domestic transportation from recipient’s place of residence to the nearest international airport in the home country, airport tax and surcharges, baggage fees, travel insurance premiums, and domestic transportation within Japan will not be covered and are the sole responsibility of the recipient.
It should be noted that air fare will not be covered by the scholarship if the recipient comes to Japan from a third country other than the country of his/her citizenship except when there is no Japanese embassy or consulate in the recipient’s country, and s/he needs to make a stop in a third country to obtain a visa. The recipient's residence is taken to be the current address given in the application form.
Additionally, air fare will not be covered if the recipient chooses to travel to Japan before or after the period designated by MEXT or the program.
Same as for arrival, for departure from Japan, an economy class air ticket from the international airport in Japan (for Saitama University, it may be either Narita or Haneda) to the international airport closest to the recipient’s place of residence in his/her country of citizenship will be provided when the recipient returns to his/her country in the final month of the scholarship period. Expenses resulting from domestic travel expenses in Japan, airport tax and surcharges, baggage fees, travel insurance premiums, and domestic transportation from the international airport in the recipient’s country to his/her place of the residence will not be covered and are the sole responsibility of the recipient.
Under following conditions, air fare will not be covered if the recipient:
-
chooses to travel to Japan before or after the period designated by MEXT.
-
returns to his/her country before the scholarship period ends due to personal reasons or due to cancellation or suspension provisions.
-
continues to stay in Japan after the scholarship period ends (e.g., for academic or professional engagements in Japan).
-
temporarily returns to the recipient’s country during scholarship period.
https://intl.civil.saitama-u.ac.jp/application-forms
There is no application fee. Moreover, entrance and tuition fees will be waived for the entire scholarship duration.
